Cosmos Records has become a vinyl institution in Toronto. Since it’s inception in the late 90’s, it’s supplied record fiends here and abroad with an incredible selection of Soul, Funk, Jazz, Latin and Brazilian rarities like no store since.

At the root of Cosmos is its mild-mannered owner, Aki Abe. Aki quickly established himself as a force in the vinyl business by offering a premium selection of records to his walk-in customers.

Cosmos was the opposite of Toronto mainstays like Vinyl Museum – a large, poorly organized store full of $2 records. Cosmos was a small boutique full of hand picked, hard-to-find funk, catering to specific collectors.

This was a huge shift in the way people bought wax in the city.

Most stores wouldn’t showcase their $250 grails – they were usually reserved for private collectors or eBay. But Cosmos would proudly display their rare acquisitions on the wall. And collectors ate it up.

For the first of this 2-part Cratery, we’re geeked to have Aki of Cosmos share some super rare bangers from his personal ‘wall’ at home. If you recognize any titles, they’re probably the records Aki didn’t play. Cratery 38A. Enjoy.